Watering the Plains: Who Gets What?

Even as SB 28–a measure that would surrender recreational water rights at Bonny Reservoir–makes its way through the Colorado General Assembly, the debate over apportionment of eastern Colorado’s sparse water resources has heated up on several fronts.

Although the controversy embraces a diversity of debates involving interstate compacts, private lawsuits and legislative harrangue, the basic issue boils down to this: Should this finite resource accrue to recreation or farms.

Of immediate concern is the likely drying up of Bonny Reservoir, a prime warmwater fishery that forms the primary attraction for a popular state park of the same name. Also on the griddle is the Colorado Division of Wildlife’s fish hatchery at Wray, a unit that produces 40 percent of the warmwater fish stocked in the state.

Thing is, both recreational entities hold water rights that are senior to most of the agricultural irrigation wells that compete for the same groundwater resources along the narrow riparian zones of the north and south forks of the Republican River. Further, both are valued at tens of millions of dollars, in addition to the economic benefits of tourism and fees they deliver.

On the othere hand, farmers deliver their own bounty to the region’s economy, particularly against the backdrop of alternative fuel production that irrigated corn provides. As evidenced by SB28, a pro-irrigation measure likely to fly out of the both Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy committees, farmers almost certainly hold the political clout in this debate. Thus we have a situation in which the longstanding water law principle of prior right potentially gets trashed by a political end run.

Don’t be surprised if–barring administrative intervention or massive protests–this bill passes and Bonny becomes an intermittent mudhole. The fate of the Wray hatchery likely will turn on the ability of DOW to strike a deal with Wray over well water the town owns outside the riparian zone.

Question is, how should these water conflicts be resolved when they inevitably arise in this perpetually arrid region? Can we have both recreation or crops? Or must we choose?

Interesting how the author forgets to mention one of the biggest water hogs of all – landscaping.

There should be an immediate ban on “thirsty” (usually not native) grasses, plants & trees, starting with the lawn & garden stores (we can start with Kentucky bluegrass). In addition, homeowners’ associations should not be allowed to fine residents who have the audacity to accept either mandatory or recommended (depending on the drought level for the year) watering restrictions – demanding “lush green lawns”.

Then we can reverse the laws on using “gray water” – at least for watering. I know that in the 60s/70s, my father “captured” the washing machine rinse water & used that to water his roses. The little bit of soap in the water helped keep down the pests – and his roses never looked better.

Colorado is high desert & the folks who have moved here from other parts of the country which have more water need to get used to it. Learn to know & love the local flora – which – as a rule thrives on the amount of rainfall we get here.

Mary

Interesting how the author forgets to mention one of the biggest water hogs of all – landscaping.

There should be an immediate ban on “thirsty” (usually not native) grasses, plants & trees, starting with the lawn & garden stores (we can start with Kentucky bluegrass). In addition, homeowners’ associations should not be allowed to fine residents who have the audacity to accept either mandatory or recommended (depending on the drought level for the year) watering restrictions – demanding “lush green lawns”.

Then we can reverse the laws on using “gray water” – at least for watering. I know that in the 60s/70s, my father “captured” the washing machine rinse water & used that to water his roses. The little bit of soap in the water helped keep down the pests – and his roses never looked better.

Colorado is high desert & the folks who have moved here from other parts of the country which have more water need to get used to it. Learn to know & love the local flora – which – as a rule thrives on the amount of rainfall we get here.

Informed

Mary,

This has nothing to do with watering lawns. On the eastern plains, which is where this entire area lies, watering of lawns is not a problem. Most lawns are very small, as most lots are less than 1/6 of an acre. Put a house on the lot, and your lawn is tiny – not like here in the Denver area. If there is a homeowner association in Yuma County, it would be in the County Club area, and that involves 10 homes. They are not wasteful of water out in Yuma County, contrary to the practices in the Denver area. The author had no reason to bring up the Denver-area water-use habits, as they don’t pertain to this discussion.

So, to keep the discussion location-relevant, the water issue involves Bonny Reservoir and the Wray hatchery using water for recreation purposes, versus irrigation wells used for growing crops. That is the issue. Mandating conservation in Denver won’t have a drop of impact on this issue. (As an informative aside – a non-irrigated corn field may yield 40 bushel per acre, while an irrigated circle can yield 210 bushel per acre. That is a huge financial difference, which is why farmers are fighting to keep the use of the water.)

Just trying to keep readers informed, as they may have no idea where the Republican Rivers (north and south fork) are, in addition to Bonny Reservoir.

Informed

Mary,

This has nothing to do with watering lawns. On the eastern plains, which is where this entire area lies, watering of lawns is not a problem. Most lawns are very small, as most lots are less than 1/6 of an acre. Put a house on the lot, and your lawn is tiny – not like here in the Denver area. If there is a homeowner association in Yuma County, it would be in the County Club area, and that involves 10 homes. They are not wasteful of water out in Yuma County, contrary to the practices in the Denver area. The author had no reason to bring up the Denver-area water-use habits, as they don’t pertain to this discussion.

So, to keep the discussion location-relevant, the water issue involves Bonny Reservoir and the Wray hatchery using water for recreation purposes, versus irrigation wells used for growing crops. That is the issue. Mandating conservation in Denver won’t have a drop of impact on this issue. (As an informative aside – a non-irrigated corn field may yield 40 bushel per acre, while an irrigated circle can yield 210 bushel per acre. That is a huge financial difference, which is why farmers are fighting to keep the use of the water.)

Just trying to keep readers informed, as they may have no idea where the Republican Rivers (north and south fork) are, in addition to Bonny Reservoir.